Fishing News

Ocean Heat Maps Reveal Secrets of Migratory Fish Like Tuna

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Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [United Press International] By Brooks Hays – October 22, 2015

By comparing the movements of tagged fish with ocean heat content maps, researchers at the University of Miami were able to uncover unique patterns in migratory fish behavior.

Their analysis proves that large migratory fishes, like yellowfin and bluefin tunas, blue and white marlin, and sailfish, are drawn to ocean fronts and eddies.

Two analytical breakthroughs made the revelation possible. First, researchers realized satellite mapping of ocean heat content, or OHC, a measurement of heat stored in the ocean’s upper layers commonly used for hurricane forecasting, could also be used to pinpoint the position of fronts and eddies.

Second, researchers were able to improve the algorithm that analyzes satellite tags from migratory fish. Together, these advances allowed researchers to compare OHC mapping and fish movements.

“Using an advanced optimization algorithm and OHC maps, we developed a method to greatly improve geolocation accuracy and refine fish movement tracks derived from satellite tags,” lead researcher Jiangang Luo, a scientist at Miami’s Tarpon and Bonefish Research Center, said in a press release.

The data showed that large migratory fish prefer to follow the boundary lines of large water features.

“Using the OHC approach in a new way offers an unprecedented view of how these animals move with currents and eddies in the ocean,” Nick Shay, a professor of ocean sciences at Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, said in a press release. “Our study provides a more detailed picture of the ocean ecosystem as an entity.”

Eddies are circling masses of water that spin off of current fronts. The swirling water pulls nutrients to the surface, making them an ideal place for hungry fish to hang out. Fronts are currents that follow the boundary line between two large water masses, distinguished by a difference in temperatures or salinity.

In the Gulf of Mexico, warm water eddies regularly spin off of fronts formed by masses of Mississippi River water. In the summer and fall, these eddies can energize and intensify a hurricane or tropical storm.

“Our new method shows that hurricanes and highly migratory fish share at least one common oceanographic interest — warm swirling ocean eddies,” said Jerald S. Ault, a professor of marine biology and ecology at Rosenstiel.

The new research was detailed in a paper published this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Members rally, protest Atlantic Marine Monument proposal

Communicating the concerns and policies supported by its diverse membership Committed to the long-term health of domestic fisheries and the economies they support.

Member News – October 2015     Members rally, protest Atlantic Marine Monument proposal   Working with the Fisheries Survival Fund and the Northeast Seafood Coalition and utilizing the Saving Seafood network, over 1,800 fishermen and other coastal residents joined federal, state and Congressional leaders in opposing a surprise threat to create a new Atlantic Marine Monument under the auspices of the 1906 Antiquities Act.   Timely action was critical, with environmental groups hoping for a presidential declaration at the Our Oceans Conference in Chile held in October.   “It’s very scary,” said Jon Williams, owner of New Bedford’s Atlantic Red Crab Company that employs nearly 150 people. Should the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts Area be named a national monument, Williams said he would be cut off from fishing grounds that account for between 20 and 40 percent of his red crab haul – an annual loss of around $5 million. Full story at the Taunton Daily Gazette    The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has demanded records of all meetings, correspondence and memos related to marine monument designations with concerns about the apparent collusion and influence of environmental groups with regard to the Interior Department’s designation process, with almost no local input. A public records request filed by Saving Seafood uncovered the emails, raising concerns about possible closed-door collaboration between environmental groups and the administration, referenced by the Committee in its letter to the Administration.   U.S. Fisheries are the most highly regulated in the world. Creation of the proposed monument would have closed a sustainable fishery.   Science supports access to the Eel Fishery The American Eel Sustainability Association has repeatedly attested to the fishery’s sustainable operations, thanks in large part to the sacrifices made by eel fishermen to ensure proactive responsible resource management. In October, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rejected a petition from the Council for Endangered Species Act Reliability (CESAR) – the second such request in a decade – to list American Eels as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), confirming that the species is “stable” and not in need of Federal protection. FWS conducted an extensive review of the most recent scientific data from federal agencies and independent sources in reaching their determination.   Voices from the National Coalition   Members of fishing communities bring extraordinary expertise and understanding to fisheries management. In fisheries, so many allegations gain public support and just turn out to be plain wrong. Members of the Coalition are encouraged to set the record straight, and keep fighting for accuracy and awareness in the public arena.   Dr. James Cowan, Louisiana State University: Proposed Red Snapper Amendment opposed by LSU Scientist Bob Jones, Southeastern Fisheries Association: SFA Criticizes Asset Forfeiture Fund Policy Diane Pleschner-Steele, California Wetfish Association: Recent Fishery Study Debunked by 1,400 Years of Data Jerry Schill, North Carolina Fisheries Association: MFC Not Abiding By Its Rules   National Coalition Advisory Boards   Saving Seafood is building its responsiveness and ability to support member concerns with regular, individual outreach to industry members, and with an Advisory Board of regional fishing organizations and an Advisory Board of fishery scientists. (If you would like your regional association to be part of the National Coalition, let us know.)   The Regional Advisory Board On September 17th, the Regional Advisory Board held its introductory meeting. Fishery association representatives from New England, the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, North Pacific, Pacific, and Hawaiian fisheries raised top issues from their memberships. Reauthorization of MSA Inadequate science Access to fish Lack of public process in management of Highly Migratory Species ENGO forage fish efforts Eco-labeling Seafood Fraud High cost of participation in the Council process Threats from National Parks and National Marine Sanctuary designation The Science Advisory Board will hold its second meeting next month. If you have scientists you respect and would like to have advising Coalition issues, let us know  and we will reach out to grow this great resource for the Coalition.   Congratulations Garden State Seafood Association and MAFMC   At the same time that ENGOs are criticizing the New England Council process and attempting to subvert it through monument designations, the Garden State Seafood Association and the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council are being praised for their successful achievements with use of the same process.   At their Sip of the Sea event on September 16th, the New York Aquarium recognized National Coalition members, Garden State Seafood Association Executive Director Greg DiDomenico and Council Chairman Richard Robbins, as Conservation Leaders.     On October 29th, the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute will recognize Ernie Panacek, President of the Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA), along with Richard Robins, Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and Jay Odell, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Marine Program at the Nature Conservancy, as Regional Champions of the Ocean.   Announcing The National Coalition! On Tuesday, January 19th, the day before the start of the annual National Mayors’ Conference in Washington, Saving Seafood will formally announce the National Coalition of Fishing Communities. Join us!   Saving Seafood will Announce the Coalition at the National Press Club that morning, Arrange appearances for our members with national and local media, and Work with your government relations teams to visit Capitol Hill in the afternoon so that you can spread the word about the issues that matter most to you. We have already made contact with mayors and elected officials in coastal communities across the nation, but need to work with you in the coming weeks to reach out in your individual communities to solidify those initial contacts. We need elected community leaders across the nation to endorse the Coalition at the launch, bringing the value of the domestic fishery to the attention of the national government. We look forward to featuring you as a partner.     Contact Sarah for more information.   Membership Registration & Dues   View a PDF version of the release

Plenty of anchovies in Monterey Bay, but maybe not elsewhere

Monterey >> Things are shifting for fishermen in Monterey Bay.

Market squid are disappearing, and in their place, fishing boats are reeling in piles of anchovies.

But while they appear abundant, conservation groups warn that the forage fish may be at their lowest levels since the 1950s.

“It’s an anomalous year,” said Diane Pleschner-Steele, executive director of the California Wetfish Producers Association. “Typically these are not the kind of oceanographic conditions that anchovy like. But they are here and they’re really close to shore, which is why we’re having a spectacular year for whale watching.”

Anchovies aren’t just bringing whales into the bay — they’re also attracting fishing fleets.

“There are thousands of tons,” said Sal Tringali, president of Monterey Fish Company, whose fishermen in Moss Landing are landing about 120 tons of anchovies each night and expect to do so for about another month. “There are all the anchovies you want out here.”

Tringali said the majority of his harvest never fills human bellies, as roughly 70 percent of the catch travels to Australia to feed tuna.

Records from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife show that, across the state, fishermen landed 13,508 metric tons of anchovies this year.

That number was fine in previous years, but now it’s dangerous, said Geoff Shester of conservation group Oceana.

“This level of catch is sustainable when the stock is healthy,” Shester said. “But new information shows that the stock is at such a low level right now, it’s literally in a state of collapse.”

Survey cruises conducted by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center detected little to no anchovy eggs from 2010 to 2013. The lack of eggs, coupled with a recent study still in review that suggests anchovy biomass has decreased by over 99 percent from 2005 to 2009, has Shester and his fellow conservationists concerned.

“Every ton we can keep in the water is extremely valuable for the future of anchovies and the amazing multimillion-dollar whale-watching and wildlife-viewing destination that is Monterey Bay,” Shester said.

Shester, along with representatives from four other conservation groups, recently sent a letter to the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, which oversees fisheries from Washington to California, urging the council to reconsider its anchovy management strategy and conduct a new stock assessment. They argue that because the last anchovy assessment was taken in 1995, current management policy doesn’t apply to modern numbers.

Sit on the docks where anchovies are sorted and you’ll likely see lots of the silvery fish piling up. But it’s a mirage, warns William Sydeman, ecologist of the Farallon Institute, who coauthored the paper that estimated anchovies at low levels.

“People think that if they’re in Monterey Bay, they must be everywhere,” Sydeman said. “They’re not. They’re only in Monterey Bay.”

Sydeman said anchovies tend to aggregate near shore when their numbers are low, giving the appearance of abundance. When numbers are actually strong, he said, the fish expand offshore, disappearing from sight.

“People think, ‘Oh look at all these whales, there must be a ton of fish,’ and that’s probably true,” said Sydeman. “There is a local abundance of anchovies. But it’s local. That doesn’t mean global abundance.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service enforces a cap on anchovies. Josh Lindsay, policy analyst for the service, believes that number is conservative.

“To take a precautionary approach,” Lindsay said, “we took the overfishing limit and told the fishing fleet that they could only catch 25,000 metric tons. That’s a pretty large buffer built into our management.”

The Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet next month to review the latest findings on anchovy numbers.

Read the original post: www.montereyherald.com/

New research maps areas most vulnerable to ocean acidification

New NOAA-led research maps the distribution of aragonite saturation state in both surface and subsurface waters of the global ocean and provides further evidence that ocean acidification is happening on a global scale. The study identifies the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, and the upwelling ocean waters off the west coasts of North America, South America and Africa as regions that are especially vulnerable to ocean acidification.

“These findings will help us better understand and develop strategies to adapt to the severity of ocean acidification in different marine ecosystems around the world,” said Richard A. Feely, a NOAA oceanographer and co-author of the study, which has been accepted for publication and can be read online in the American Geophysical Union journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

Ocean acidification is caused by humankind’s release of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. Excess carbon dioxide enters the ocean, reacts with water, decreases ocean pH and lowers carbonate ion concentrations, making waters more corrosive to marine species that need carbonate ions and dissolved calcium to build and maintain healthy shells and skeletons. The saturation state of seawater for a mineral such as aragonite is a measure of the potential for the mineral to form or to dissolve.

In the new study, scientists determined the saturation state of aragonite in order to map regions that are vulnerable to ocean acidification. Waters with higher aragonite saturation state tend to be better able to support shellfish, coral and other species that use this mineral to build and maintain their shells and other hard parts.

This study shows that aragonite saturation state in waters shallower than 328 feet or 100 meters depth decreased by an average of 0.4 percent per year from the decade spanning 1989-1998 to the decade spanning 1998-2010. “A decline in the saturation state of carbonate minerals, especially aragonite, is a good indicator of a rise in ocean acidification,” said Li-Qing Jiang, an oceanographer with NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites at the University of Maryland and lead author.

The most vulnerable areas of the global ocean are being hit with a double whammy of sorts. In these areas, deep ocean waters that are naturally rich in carbon dioxide are upwelling and mixing with surface waters that are absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is coming primarily from human-caused fossil fuel emissions.

“When oyster larvae are born they must draw on the energy in their yolk to build their aragonite shells to protect themselves from predators and grow into healthy adults,” said Feely. In waters depleted of carbonate ions, young oysters must expend more energy to build their shell and may not survive. This has significant consequences for the seafood industry.”

Read the original post: http://www.eurekalert.org/

‘Ridiculously Resilient Ridge’ retires, making room for rain

El Niño is expected to bring a low-pressure system, which will replace the high-pressure system that’s exacerbated California’s drought. nasa.gov

The high pressure system that has shunted storms away from California for much of the past four years has dissipated, possibly for a long time.

The Ridiculously Resilient Ridge — as meteorologists and forecasters have dubbed the system because of its unusual persistence — has been absent for more than a month, according to a forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“It hasn’t been like that since August really, and instead we’ve had sort of more variable weather patterns,” said Nate Mantua, a research scientist with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz.

Mantua said the ridge will likely stay away, because it will have been replaced by a low-pressure trough.

“The expectations are as we get into Fall and Winter seasons more deeply, we’re going to see a lot more low pressure there, and that will be the more sort of dominant story,” Mantua said.

Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said low-pressure systems typically accompany El Niño events.

“Lower pressure in the Eastern Pacific is a classic pattern you’d see with an El Niño setting up with the jet stream a little more to the south, and that’s were we get into our storm track coming up from the southwest across California,” Boldt said.

The high-pressure ridge has created a large swath of unusually warm water off the coast. Boldt said the warm water would take months to dissipate and that its interaction with El Niño isn’t well understood. However, he said storms from strong El Niño events, which can bring heavy rains to California, could be bolstered by the warm water.

“That’s the part that is a little bit unprecedented. We don’t really have a good idea about how that might impact us, but warmer ocean temperatures typically lead to fueling the atmosphere and kind of energizing those storms. So I don’t think it’s going to be a negative for us,” Boldt said.

Mantua said the disappearance of the ridge and the presence of a strong El Niño is likely to produce a lot of rain in Southern California.

“[The low-pressure system is] just another factor that sort of favors a more normal winter, although I don’t think it’s going to be normal. I think it’s going to be probably an exciting winter, especially for Southern California,” Mantua said.

Read/listen to the original post: http://www.scpr.org/

Pacific Bonito and Albacore Tuna Among Non-Native Fish Species Sighted in Alaska’s Warmer Waters

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Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

What are you doing here? Unusual fish appear in Alaska

It’s a fascinating time to be an Alaska fish biologist, charter operator or angler. With warmer ocean temperatures caused by El Nino and a phenomenon called “The Blob,” bizarre fish sightings are pouring in from around the state, particularly Southeast.

Scott Meyer, a state fishery biologist based in Homer, is amassing photos from colleagues and boat captains who have hauled in everything from a 900-pound ocean sunfish near Juneau to warm-water thresher sharks off the coast of Yakutat since July.

“It’s unusual to have these fish caught in near-shore fisheries,” Meyer said.

The warm-water mass nicknamed The Blob has been swirling around the Pacific Ocean for the past couple of years and moving north toward Alaska. At the same time, El Nino is in full force this year, a weather pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures. As a result, ocean conditions including temperatures and food sources for fish are changing and species not normally found in state waters are showing up.

The peak of the 2015-2016 El Nino is approaching, with this year’s event among the strongest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Blob has raised temperatures in the North Pacific to record highs of about five to seven degrees Fahrenheit above average, according to NOAA.

Joe Orsi, a federal fisheries biologist in Juneau, said two massive sunfish swam into researchers’ gear in Southeast this summer as they conducted juvenile salmon surveys. Sunfish tend to favor warmer waters than those found in Alaska.

Other unusual reports include Pacific bonito caught in waters off Ketchikan, albacore tuna spotted near Prince of Wales Island, and yellow tail caught near Sitka.

As recently as last Saturday, an ocean sunfish washed ashore outside a lodge in Cordova.

Steve Moffitt, the state biologist who dissected the sunfish, said pilots and fishermen have reported several sightings of sunfish this summer. They were likely chasing the warmer currents and a huge mass of jellyfish that filled the waters around Cordova, he said.

“Sunfish really like to eat jellyfish,” Moffitt said.

California market squid are also starting to spawn in Southeast, Orsi said.

While the usual fish sightings are interesting from a biological perspective, they may be a cause for concern, Orsi said. One of his top questions: if ocean temperatures rise, how will big-money fish like salmon be affected?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game forecast the Southeast pink salmon harvest in 2015 at 58 million fish, yet fishermen hauled in only about 34 million pinks, according to state records.

Did The Blob and El Nino cause the low catch level? Hard to say definitively but it’s “certainly easy to point the finger at them,” said Dave Harris, Fish and Game’s commercial fishery management biologist in Juneau.

“Those are the most likely suspects,” Harris said.

Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

El Niño: When will it start raining in California?

Frankie Frost — Marin Independent Journal

One of the strongest El Niño winters ever recorded since modern records first began in 1950 continues to grow in the Pacific Ocean, federal scientists reported Thursday.

So, with the likelihood for a wet winter increasing across drought-parched California, residents staring at empty reservoirs and dead lawns are asking: “When will it start pouring?”

The answer, experts said Thursday, is that winter storms in strong El Niño years typically bring more rain to California than normal, but they don’t do it any earlier.

An analysis of the five winters back to 1950 in which strong El Niño conditions similar to this year have occurred shows that in the Bay Area during those years, October has been only slightly wetter than the historic average. November has been nearly twice as wet in most. December has been oddly drier than normal in all five strong El Niño winters. And the bulk of the rain — the real downpours with high risk of floods and mudslides — have occurred in January and February.

“For the most part, our rainy season really gets going in November, and El Niño is an add-on to our regular rainy season,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist formerly with the National Weather Service who runs Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga.

Using San Francisco rainfall as a baseline for the Bay Area, in four of the five strong El Niño years — 1957-58, 1972-73, 1982-83 and 1997-98 — the overall annual rainfall totals have exceeded the historical average of 23.9 inches. In the wettest, 1997-98, the rainfall was double the average, at 47.22, with relentless rainfall in January and February that soaked the state and caused flooding and mudslides. Other Bay Area cities showed similar patterns.

“If we don’t see a lot of rain in December, we should realize that’s not a big deal; it’s happened before in strong El Niño years,” said Null, who compiled the data. “January and February have been big months.”

Only once, in 1965-66, when the annual rainfall totaled 15.84 inches, was there a drier-than-normal year in the Bay Area during a strong El Niño.

On average, 70 percent of the Bay Area’s yearly rain total falls during just four months: November, December, January and February, a staple of Northern California’s Mediterranean climate. Similarly, during the soaked winter of 1997-98, about 77 percent of the Bay Area’s rain fell in those same four months.

On Thursday, scientists at NOAA issued their monthly El Niño update. It reported very warm Pacific Ocean temperatures at the equator in a key area that indicates El Niño strength. The water there, off Peru, averaged 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the historic average in September, up from 3.72 degrees above average in August and slightly above September 1997, when it was 4 degrees warmer.

“This El Niño continues to be a strong event, and we have every expectation that it will remain this way through the winter,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. “The ocean has gotten a little warmer. It continues to strengthen.”

NOAA scientists said there continues to be a 95 percent chance that El Niño conditions will continue through the end of this year — up from 85 percent in June and 50 percent last spring.

El Niño is a disruption in the weather patterns over the Pacific Ocean, when the ocean’s surface warms more than normal. Those warm waters release heat, changing wind directions and the jet stream, which often brings more and wetter storms to California.

Halpert agreed that this year, if big storms come, they aren’t likely to come any earlier than in a normal winter.

For Californians wishing for soaking rains, Halpert said it’s important to remember that too much water too fast can also create major problems. He cited South Carolina, where 17 people have died this week in flooding related to Hurricane Joaquin, and at least 11 dams have breached.

“If you get 15 or 20 inches of rain in a few days, nobody has the infrastructure to deal with that,” he said. “I have expectations this winter when I turn on the news that I will see houses sliding into the Pacific Ocean. It’s not a good thing, but it’s almost a hallmark of these kinds of El Niño winters.”

However, Halpert noted that if storms aren’t cool enough they won’t build up the Sierra snowpack, a key water source for California. And with a significant rainfall deficit in most parts of the state, even a very wet winter might not end the drought in one year.

Nevertheless, with the likelihood of strong storms growing, California residents have begun preparing. Roofing companies are booked solid. Cities and water districts are stockpiling sandbags and clearing clogged stream channels. Utilities are trimming dead trees from four years of drought away from power lines.

“We are taking the prospect of a wet winter very seriously,” said Matt Nauman, a spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric, which provides electricity and natural gas to 16 million people from Bakersfield to Eureka. Nauman said the company has 350 arborists and foresters and 650 tree crews working to trim trees on 134,000 miles of overhead power lines to reduce the risk of blackouts when storms knock dead branches into power lines. Widespread blackouts happened during the 1997-98 and 1982-83 storms.

“We need to be ready whatever the weather ends up being,” he said.

Original post: http://www.marinij.com/

Bill to Make Tri-State West Coast Dungeness Fishery Management Permanent Clears House

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Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

A bill that will permanently allow Washington, Oregon and California state fishery managers to jointly manage the West Coast Dungeness crab fishery cleared its first hurdle in Congress this week.

HR 2168, the West Coast Dungeness Crab Management Act, proposed by US Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and backed by state Senator Maria Cantwell, passed the US House this week and will now go up for Senate approval.

If approved, the law will allow Washington, Oregon and California to continue their work– at a state level–to manage the West Coast Dungeness Crab Fishery.

The bill actually extends a measure approved in 1996 that allowed the three states to work with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission to manage the stocks and conduct fishery science. It represented a unique marriage of state and federal fishery management.

The 1996 accord is set to expire in 2016, but Beutler’s proposal would make the state and federal pact permanent.

“The successful, two decades-old tri-state Dungeness crab management agreement will expire the on September 30, 2016. This bill simply makes that working management authority between Washington, Oregon, and California permanent,” said Beutler.

This bill will now go before Congress where some industry sources say it has a 68 percent chance of approval.

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Scientists Say Fish Are the World’s Best Athletes

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Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

Humans toss around sports titles like they own them. “World’s Greatest Athlete.” “World Record Holder.” “Fastest Alive.”

Name any winner at any Olympics at any event in track and field and this much is almost certain, a new research paper argues: A wide variety of athletic fish would blow right by them. Trout, salmon, tuna and other fleet fish are capable of producing far more oxygen in their bodies for mind-blowing performance.

“Fish exploit a mechanism that is up to 50-times more effective in releasing oxygen to their tissues than that found in humans,” said Jodie Rummer, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University.

“This is because their hemoglobin, the protein in blood that transports oxygen, is more sensitive to changes in pH than ours and more than the hemoglobin in other animals,” she said.

That’s right, other animals. The humble trout and salmon, not to mention powerful tuna, can also blow away some of the fastest mammals on land.

Fish have developed this ability for longer than humans can imagine, given their standing as some of the first organisms to form hundreds of millions of years ago. Humans run marathons. Salmon swim entire coastlines and tuna swim around the world.

When they’re challenged – which generally means chased by predators – they really get on their horse, flying underwater at incredible speeds. Humans catch them easily, but advance fishing tools and methods cheat nature.

A quick getaway from predators isn’t the only skill fish evolved to survive. Conditions in water can change dramatically, especially with humans around adding phosphorous, nitrogen and acidity to water.

In areas of low oxygen in water, such as a problem known as dead zones that leave them sucking for air, they can double or triple oxygen delivery to their tissue. The study was published early this week in the journal PLOS One.

Researchers have used rainbow trout to understand how fish deliver oxygen for the past decade. First they tested how it’s done by monitoring rainbow trout muscle oxygen levels in real-time. Then they compared the results with medical studies of humans to show how much more powerful fish like trout and salmon are.

“This information tells us how fish have adapted this very important process of getting oxygen and delivering it to where it needs to be so that they can live in all kinds of conditions, warm or cold water, and water with low oxygen levels,” Rummer said.

Many elite runners have taken to wearing elevation training masks that reduce their oxygen intake, hoping to simulate breathing at a higher altitude to better their performance. Fish don’t need a mask. They’re born that way.

“This trait may be particularly central to performance in athletic species, such as long-distance swimming salmon or fast swimming tuna,” said Colin Brauner, a University of British Columbia researcher and study co-author.

“For fish,” he said, “enhanced oxygen delivery may be one of the most important adaptations of their 400-million-year evolutionary history.”

Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

California Approves Law for Commercial Fishermen to Set Up Public Seafood Markets

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Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com

Seafood markets will be allowed to operate in the public square just like farmers markets, now that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins’ Pacific to Plate Act. AB 226 removes red tape, making it easier for shoppers to purchase local seafood.

“The massive growth of farmers markets across the state shows us the benefits of allowing direct sales between farmers and consumers,” said Atkins (D-San Diego). “Coastal communities and small-business owners throughout California deserve the same opportunities.”

Pacific to Plate streamlines the permitting process so that commercial fishermen can organize under a single permit—just like certified farmers markets—allowing public seafood markets to operate as food facilities and fresh fish to be cleaned for direct sale.

“By making it easier to establish and open these markets, we hope to create more jobs for local fishermen and give San Diegans more fish caught fresh off our waters,” said County Supervisor Greg Cox. “My thanks to Speaker Toni Atkins and our local fishermen for working together to make this law happen.”

Pacific to Plate also establishes guidelines such as compliance with the California Retail Food Code and food-safety requirements.

San Diego’s Tuna Harbor Dockside Fish Market celebrated its anniversary in August. It has expanded to include 17 vendors selling their catch, comprising 22 species caught in local waters, including swordfish, yellowtail, squid, and white sea bass.

“The changes to the law will have environmental, economic, and societal benefits as fishermen get a fair price for their product and the consumer gets high-quality local fish, also at a fair price. This will restore the fishermen’s place in San Diego fishing culture,” said Peter Halmay, one of the founders of Tuna Harbor.

Copyright © 2015 Seafoodnews.com